


The Prince(ss) and Me

by asoulofstars, MissChrisDaae



Series: Fosterson Week 2018 [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Awesome Jane Foster, F/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-25 01:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16651981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asoulofstars/pseuds/asoulofstars, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissChrisDaae/pseuds/MissChrisDaae
Summary: Based onTHISprompt from Tumblr.Prince Thor of Asgard just wants a little time to feel normal before he has to marry the mysterious Princess Jana of Ameos. So, he runs away from home and enrolls at Harvard University as Donald Blake, where he meets Jane Foster.Jane is clever, kind, and everything he wants, but can never have.Princess Jana of Ameos has spent her whole life studying incognito, getting the best global education possible under the alias of Jane Foster and trying not to think about romance, or the fiancé waiting for her back in Europe.Then Don Blake comes along and throwsthatplan out the window.Happy Fosterson Week!





	The Prince(ss) and Me

“Oh, my god, new hottie. New hottie coming in, not a drill.”

“Darcy, transfer students come in sometimes, this is  _ Harvard _ . The best university in the world,” Jane pointed out, tucking back a strand of her brown hair that had come loose from her pencil-held bun. “You should know that. You got in here.”

“Yeah, but I’m a political science major. You’re a super-genius.”

“I wouldn’t go  _ that _ far, I’m just well rounded,” Jane muttered, neglecting to bring up the reason for her well-roundedness as she looked over  _ Entanglement and the Geometry of Spacetime _ .

“Well, will it bother you if I ask him to come sit with us? I think he’s cute. Big, blond, ooh, and I think he’s actually rocking facial hair. You know, not every guy can pull that off.”

“Do whatever you want, I do have to keep studying for this paper.”

“Awesome. Hey! New guy, over here!”

The blond looked over, and he pointed at himself, tilting his head to silently ask if it was him being shouted at. Darcy nodded, mouthing  _ duh _ , and Jane rolled her eyes. He walked over, and he gave them a grin.

“Well, hello. How are you?” he asked, grateful for the forwardness.

“Super good. I’m Darcy, and the bookworm here—” Jane grimaced at the slap on her back from her roommate, “is Jane the Brain.”

“I told you to stop calling me that!”

Thor chuckled. “My name’s Donald. Donald Blake.” He held out his hand. Jane  _ almost _ extended her hand as if she were going to let him kiss it, then remembered herself and turned it for shaking.

“Jane Foster,” she said. “My surname is not ‘the Brain.’ Darcy just thinks she’s funny when she’s really not.”

“And Jane has no sense of humor or social skills. Where’d you transfer from, Don?” Darcy retorted, leaning forward to get her chance at handshaking. 

“I transferred from Oxford.” He shook Darcy’s hand, smiling at her enthusiasm. “To be fair, ‘The Brain’ is not a bad nickname. You must be incredibly intelligent.”

“I’d like to think so.” Jane preened a little, though a tiny corner of her mind noted that his accent did not sound like he was from England. It was a little too heavy for that, too Northern. “The word on campus is that I’m going to be valedictorian when graduation comes around. And that’s with my multiple majors.”

“Jane went to school in like, every country ever,” Darcy said, her mouth half-full of grilled cheese. “Her parents are… what did you say, Jane?”

“They work in foreign policy,” Jane said automatically. “So, they wanted me to have a full world experience. Hoped it would get me excited to enter the same field when I’m older.”

Thor chuckled. “It is a good thing, even if you do not enter the same field. World experience is invaluable.”

“So they tell me. What’s your concentration?”

“Criminal justice and mythology. What about you with your multiple concentrations?”

“Astrophysics, Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, and Anthropology,” Jane ticked them off on her fingers. “I thought it was more interesting than going the more traditional routes like Pre-Law, or Poli-Sci—”

“Hey!”

“Which is Darcy’s major,” Jane finished with a smirk.

Thor laughed, covering his mouth to try to hide it. “It sounds like a rather interesting combination.”

“It is. And I like it very much. Except for the part where Darcy complains whenever I’m up late studying.”

“You leave the light on!”

“I need the light to read!”

“Work in the library!”

Jane huffed, folding her arms. “Maybe we should argue about this when we don’t have Don around.”

“This is how my mother must feel when my brother and I talk,” he said with a wry smile.

“You have a brother? Lucky, I’m an only child. Darcy’s the closest I have to a sibling.”

“And I have to get to my math class now, so you two have fun.” Darcy grabbed her bag, and stood up. “See you later, Jane.”

“Okay, bye.”

“It was nice to meet you, Darcy.”

As her roommate shuffled away, Jane poked a little at the brownie on the corner of her lunch tray. “Have you ever had a brownie? Do they have them where you’re from?”

“Yes. We have them a lot. They’re quite delicious. Almost an overload of chocolate, except there can never be too much chocolate.”

“Is chocolate a major export? I’m sorry, I haven’t been in England since I was, I think, six or seven.”

“Yes, it is. Chocolate is huge in England.”

“Huh. Well, I think it’s cool that you have a brother. I always wanted a sibling. Older or younger?”

“He’s younger. It’s very clear that he’s the younger one.”

“What’s his name?”

“Robert.” There was an odd hesitation right before he said it. And she knew that name, even if it was from a throwaway line on  _ Saturday Night Live. _

“Like the actor, huh? Cool.” Jane pulled her brownie in half, holding it out to him. “Do you want it?”

“Sure. Thank you.” He took it, putting it in his mouth all at once. Jane forced down a giggle at the sight of it. “So, astrophysics. How’d you get into that?” He seemed surprised by that in combination with the other majors. And Jane couldn’t  _ really _ fault him, astrophysics was dominated by male students, but it still made her skin prickle.

“Well, obviously I studied,” she retorted, arching an eyebrow. “And I proved I was good at it. How else would I get into it?”

A blush crept up his neck. “Of course. But why astrophysics?”

“I like space. I like how limitless it seems. I like understanding how things work.”

“Space is beautiful. I admit, I have not given it a lot of thought, but it’s nice to look at. It makes me feel less alone.”

“What got you into criminal justice and folklore? They seem like pretty conflicting fields of interest.”

“I’m interested in protecting people. Being there to keep others safe, to be one of them but be serving them.” He shrugged. “As far as the mythology, I’m just interested in things like that. Especially across varying cultures. It’s interesting to learn why people have the worldview that they do.”

“Then why not go into anthropology? Isn’t that a little more all encompassing and practical?”

“Probably,” he shrugged. “Anthropology is a little more time consuming than I can afford, though.”

She forced down a blatant  _ bitch, please _ . That was  _ not _ an okay thing to say, regardless of who a person might be, but it was especially inappropriate for her. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have fun. Now, it’s going to be one in a couple minutes, so I’ll have to go. But it was nice to meet you, Donald.”

“It was nice to meet you as well, Jane. Thank you for sharing your brownie.”

* * *

 

“Hello, Mother,” Thor said into the phone. He had promised his mother that he would call home as much as possible.

“Are things going well, dear?” Frigga’s voice sounded as warm and sunny as ever, even through the overseas connection. “Have you had any epiphanies of self-discovery? Oh, and your brother said to tell you that he hates you for abandoning him when he’s meeting his own fiancé, before I forget.”

“Tell him that he can deal with it. I haven’t even  _ met _ my fiancé.” He rolled his eyes. “And, they are going well. I haven’t had any epiphanies yet, but I have met a couple people who will probably help.”

“Thor, Jana is supposed to be a lovely young lady, very cultured and intelligent. Her parents have offered to arrange a meeting as soon as she’s done with her education, but then you decided you wanted to go to school.”

“Yes, well, I deserve to be able to see things outside of Asgard, too.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you do have responsibilities as the next sovereign.”

“It also doesn’t change the fact that Father is going to live forever, so I have time before I am going to take the throne.”

“ _ Thor Odinson. _ ”

Thor winced; even over the phone, his mother’s scolding voice was intimidating. “Apologies, Mother.” He had to bite his tongue to not continue.

“You’re young, I know, you need to be given a certain amount of freedom to discover who you are, but if you ever give me lip like that again, I will make you wish you were back in the army on your tour of service.”

“Yes, Mother.” He knew she could make good on her threat, so he wasn’t going to push it.

“Now, tell me more about school, how are things going in your classes?”

“They’re fine. They’re really interesting. I really enjoy the criminal justice classes that I’m taking.”

“Oh, yes, you mentioned that last time. Thor… you know I have to give you your father’s usual threats. He’s getting… stressed.”

That gave him pause. “How stressed?”

“It’s affecting his blood pressure. At this point, it’s not  _ too _ alarming, but there is the chance that it’ll take a turn for the worse.”

“You’ll keep me updated?” Thor asked. He knew that if things got worse, he’d have to go home, but he would be okay with that. He wanted to make sure his father would be okay.

“Of course I will. Now, about these people you’ve been spending time with… I hope it’s all been appropriate.”

“Of course it has, Mother. I’m not doing anything.”

“Good, good… the last thing we need is for things to get complicated, moreso than they already are. You have a break in the term coming up, don’t you? For the spring? It might be a good time to meet Jana.”

Thor sighed. “I do, Mother. Perhaps. Maybe once I meet her, I’ll actually be used to the idea.”

“You know we love you.”

“I know, Mother. I love you, too. All of you.”  _ Even when Loki’s a pain in the arse _ . He refused to say the thought out loud, because he knew his mother did not give empty threats.

“Take care of yourself, I’ll call again next week.”

“Alright. Have a good night, Mother.” No sooner had the phone call ended than there was a banging on the door, and the muffled sound of two familiar voices. Thor walked over to the door and opened it. “Can I help you?” he asked, amused.

“There’s a showing of Rocky Horror in an hour, Don, you totally have to come,” Darcy blurted. “Jane’s finally getting her RHPS cherry popped—”

“Darcy!” Jane shrieked, covering her face with her coat as she flushed red.

“I would love to join you. I’ve never seen it, either,” Thor said in an attempt to make Jane feel better.

“Double virgins, I am totally getting you two up there with the players!” Darcy clapped her hands in wicked delight.

“What does that mean?” Thor asked curiously. And he was slightly wary. She reminded him of Loki.

“Virgins, in this case,” Jane explained, “are people who have never been to a live showing of Rocky Horror. According to Darcy, that means some of them have to stand up in front of everyone and fake an orgasm. She’s been trying to get me to go for the past three and a half years, and I only caved this year because I don’t want her hunting me down after graduation.”

“Alright. Well, I suppose I will if you will.” He winked at her, and she pulled up her coat even further.

“Get your jacket then, before the theater fills up!” Darcy grabbed the red coat off the hook and pulled Thor out the door. “Come on, come on, come on!” All three of them headed down and out of the dorms, but Jane caught Thor by the arm, letting Darcy move ahead of them

“I’ve changed my mind, I can’t do this. If you want to make a break for it, now’s the time.”

“You’re afraid?” He tried not to laugh at her. “Admittedly, I’ve only ever heard rumors about this film, but I thought a plucky girl like you wouldn’t be scared of a film. But I can hold your hand, if that will make things easier for you.” She rolled her eyes, and sucked in a breath, a gesture he’d grown to recognize since January. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

“Yes, yes, you did. I don’t need hand holding, and I don’t appreciate being called  _ plucky _ .”

“Perhaps I should see about a course in Gender Studies. Clearly I didn’t learn enough when I was growing up.”

“You’d have to do grad school for that, wouldn’t you, we’re seniors,” she pointed out. “It’s too late in the semester to really properly audit anything, or join a new class.”

“Or maybe I could just read your homework,” he suggested. “Would that work?”

“ _ HEY, VIRGINS, COME ON.” _

Thor looked at Jane and they spoke in unison. “Run.” They bolted down the slush covered brick sidewalks until they reached one of the more hole-in-the-wall coffee shops, and found two oversized armchairs in the far corner. “So, reading your homework?”

“I’ll think about it.” Jane pulled out her tablet to check her e-mail. “Don't you have your own midterms to think about, though?”

Thor shrugged. “I can study later.”

“I would think now is as good a time as….” Jane trailed off as a tall red haired woman approached them. “Hi, Natalie.”

“You weren't at the cinema. You said you would be.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Natalie Rushman.” The redhead extended her hand to Thor. “And you are?”

“Nat, come on, you know who Donald Blake is,” Jane interrupted, putting the tablet down, and folding her arms.

“Just remember your parents want to hear from you.”

Thor gave a small wave to Natalie, though he didn’t speak. He could sense it wasn’t a good time.

“Okay, message received. Can you go now, please? I’m trying to have a nice time with a friend.”

“It was lovely to meet you, Donald. Don’t try anything with her. I’ll know.”

“Nat!” Jane shrieked, nearly hitting her with the tablet.

“Don’t you worry. And I think Jane is more than capable of handling me, should I cross any lines.”

“You’re not helping,” Jane said, pulling the pillow out from behind her in the chair and smashing her face into it as Natalie walked off. “Ugh, I cannot believe she did that.”

“She’s protective of you. It’s understandable. Although, I don’t remember you bringing her up before. How do you two know one another?”

“You could say she’s basically my nanny. She’s known me since I was a baby, and looked after me a lot.”

Thor nodded. “That’s very kind of her. Are you two close?”

“No. She’s not a touchy-feely kind of person. And I’m  _ way _ too old to be supervised like this now, I don’t know why my parents encourage her the way they do.”

“Because they’re your parents, and they care.” He gave a small smile. It’s why he called his mother once a week. He still couldn’t believe that she’d actually helped him hide this from Odin.

“ _ Je ne voudrais pas… _ ” Jane started muttering in French and drifted into being inaudible. “Oh…Sorry. I do that sometimes. You didn’t catch the expletives, did you?”

Thor gave a chuckle. “No. What language was that?” he asked curiously. He had an ear for languages and could pick them up quickly when he tried, but he’d never been truly motivated to learn them.

“French. I did a summer in Paris.”

“Where  _ haven’t _ you traveled?” he asked playfully.

“Most of the Middle East,” she said in a very serious deadpan. “And I also haven’t been to Asgard. You know, that little northern country, the one the EU keeps rejecting?”

“I’ve heard of it,” he said, trying not to betray the slight amusement he felt at her questions. “You’re extremely well traveled, then. You’ve even been to Ameos?”

“Very briefly.” She looked back down at the table, as if she were fascinated by the rings caused by people leaving their drinks there.

“What was it like?” He’d never been there, though he figured that might change after he met his betrothed. 

“It’s… nice. Very green hills, a lot of woods, little glens, freshwater ponds, and a nice little coastal area. That’s where the capital is.”

“That sounds gorgeous,” he said. “I might have to go visit.”

“If you’re one of those princess stalkers, go in the summer,” she said, lapsing into muttering again.

“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He hadn’t quite heard everything, but he’d gotten the word ‘stalker’.

“They have a princess. No one really knows what she looks like, because she’s only ever around in the summer, and then she usually stays in the palace doing who knows what. Or so I hear. But a lot of guys apparently show up trying to convince her to be  _ their _ princess.”

“Don’t these countries still do that betrothal thing at birth?” he asked, trying to pretend like he didn’t know  _ all too well _ that they did.

“That doesn’t stop idiot frat boys from trying to bag a princess just so they can brag to their idiot frat boy friends,” Jane retorted. “I’ve seen every kind of spring break there is to see, and it has made me  _ very _ skeptical about men. To the point where my parents had to ask me if I was a lesbian.”

“Are you skeptical enough to avoid marriage?” he asked. He wanted to ask if she was skeptical enough to avoid  _ him _ , but he couldn’t. He was betrothed. He would never get to act on these feelings that he had for Jane.

“I don’t know. I don’t really think about marriage, there’s just so much else I want to do with my life.” Her eyes traced over his face with a weird kind of resignation. “But I know they want me to be happy. With someone else.”

“I understand that. It’s why I transferred. I want to see the world, experience things. I don’t want to be tied down.” And he really wanted to kiss her. But he wouldn’t. He would respect the fiancée that he’d never met.

“Can we talk about something else? Marriage is… way too heavy.”

“Sure. Where’s your favorite place you’ve been?”

“Probably London. I had a lot of fun working at their planetarium part time.”

“The planetarium is beautiful,” he agreed. “I can understand why you would.”

“What about you? Where were you before coming here, I don’t think you ever told me.”

“Oxford. I really enjoyed England, so I was there for a while. But things became too predictable, so I transferred.” He needed adventure and spice in his life.

“Oh, yeah, you  _ did _ tell us that. I feel like an idiot now.”

“Don’t. With as much as you’re studying, it must be hard to remember anything.”

“Aww, you’re a sweetie.” She gave him a little smile that seemed almost sad.

“I’m just telling the truth. You have an intense workload. I don’t know if I could do it.”

“Well, you actually have a social life. I heard you were going out with Roz Solomon, or is that just a rumor?”

“That’s completely a rumor,” Thor said. “I’m saving myself for someone.”  _ Though all I want to do is ask you out _ .

“Oh. Well, in that case, would you mind if we make this… kind of a reoccuring thing? I’m doing an extra credit paper about the questions postulated by  _ When Harry Met Sally. _ You know that movie?”

“Yeah, I do. And, of course we can keep doing this.” He grinned at her. “I like your company.”

“And I like yours. A lot more than I would like trying to fake an orgasm in a movie theater full of crazy fans.”

Thor laughed. “Yes, this is quite true. I’m glad we ran.”

“Same time next week then? Maybe? And we’ll actually get coffee?”

“That sounds great.”

* * *

 

_ Jana— _

_ We're very pleased with the reports Romanova is sending from the university; your performances are nothing short of exemplary, as expected. You are sure to be a credit to both Ameos and Asgard, in time. _

_ That being said, I do not appreciate the multiple discourses you've sent us regarding the 'archaic notion of patriarchy' and 'repressive limitations of the overprivileged upper-class.' This behavior is incredibly immature, and ill-fitting of a princess. I have been tempted several times to withdraw you from Harvard, and instead require you to  spend the remainder of this year in finishing school, learning to be a proper young lady. You are the Crown Princess of Ameos, Jana, you have a duty to your family, and your homeland, to represent us well and honor the traditions we have held for centuries. _

_ There still hasn't been any word from King Odin as to Prince Thor's whereabouts, though Queen Frigga suggested that the two of you ought to meet properly this coming spring, with the hope of arranging your wedding within the following eighteen months. I am relieved that you have not yet declared you will not marry the prince and have run off with some American boy (and I pray I have not just put ideas into your head). _

_ Provided everything goes to plan, we will be at your commencement, with your future husband and his family. We will discuss it during your spring holiday, when, I assume, you will be returning to see us. The details are already being worked out at Logan International Airport, so you will be able to depart incognito, as usual. We are looking forward to seeing you. Your mother sends her love. _

_ Regards, _

_ Father _

And below that were all the titles and stylings that went with being King of Ameos. Even in a text message. Jane groaned, stuffing her international phone back into its hiding spot at the back of her underwear drawer before collapsing on her bed with a long groan. She was relieved Darcy wasn't around to pry about it.

She'd  _ liked _ being able to have just her summers as 'Princess Jana Elizabeta of Ameos,' and getting to be 'Jane Foster' during the school year, regardless of what international school she was attending. It was so much easier that way. Everyone always knew she'd most likely be leaving at the end of the term, so friendships could be easily formed and broken, and no one tried to date her.

Harvard was the longest she'd ever stayed in one place. And part of her liked it. She liked Darcy. She liked that Cambridge, Massachusetts felt like a home to her now, maybe even more than Ameos. And then there was Donald.

She liked him. She couldn't get over that. She really, really liked him. And there were moments when she thought'd he liked her too. But she was engaged. She reached back into the underwear drawer, this time to retrieve the little black velvet box that housed the white-gold band set with diamonds and an impractically large star sapphire. She considered it for a moment in the box, then slid it on the third finger of her left hand, turning it back and forth to catch the light. It felt unrealistically heavy.

Thor Odinson. Her fiancé, the Crown Prince of Asgard, that country far to the North, founded by Vikings, and sharing a thin, but very fertile border with Ameos. The last time she'd crossed that border, she'd been in diapers for a formal betrothal ceremony and some kind of pact that meant their two countries were going to be permanently unified.

She hadn't seen Thor once in her life, mainly because of her travelling, but also because he'd had his own obligations, namely the militaristic nature of Asgard that required army service from all male members of the Royal Family, and the fact that Queen Frigga had refused to let her sons be publicly photographed before they had reached their majority.

Of course there were the two daughters of the Asgardian ambassador to Ameos; Jane had to put up with them every summer, and every summer, the annoying blonde one claimed that Thor had slept with her, and the redhead who tried to one up everything by claiming that she’d slept with  _ both _ princes. She’d never deigned to remember their names. Of course, Jane didn’t actually believe it, but she did believe that Thor was tall, blond, and muscular. That could be a million guys. It could be Don. And that brought her back full circle.

She’d have to avoid him. Because otherwise, things were just going keep getting more and more awkward. She’d  _ want _ to be with him, but she couldn’t be with him, because there was a mysterious royal fiancé waiting for her across the ocean.

Or maybe he wasn’t, since Thor had disappeared months ago, without even a note. He could be anything from dead to slumming it in a third world country. Maybe he  _ had _ eloped with someone else. But, since no one was telling her anything, she was stuck in this rut.

There was a knock at the door, three sharp ones followed by two long ones. Jane groaned, and reached out to open the door for Natalia. “You should have checked the peephole,” the red haired KGB-agent-turned-bodyguard scolded as she strode in, flanked by Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Jane’s image coordinator and personal assistant. “I could have been someone else.”

“Oh, please, no one could ever get anything out of you.” Jane pulled the ring off her finger, returning it to its box and the underwear drawer. “What are you doing here, Pepper?”

“Your mother wanted me to check your measurements on my way to New York.” Pepper pulled a measuring tape out of her Prada bag. “Clothes off.”

“I haven’t gained weight,” Jane complained, stripping off her tank top and sweatpants and standing up.

“I have orders from your mother, Princess.” The strawberry blond gestured for Jane to lift up her arms so that she could have her bust measured.

“So, that’s why she’s here, what about you?”

“Monthly check in.” Natalia said, pulling out her tablet.

“Ew.”

“You’ve been having these since you were born, your highness.”

“That doesn’t make them any grosser or weirder. I didn’t buy my own tampons until I was a freshman here! And that was only because I couldn’t cover that up with Darcy.” Jane widened her stance for Pepper to check her inseam. “Which, by the way, was also the year I started wearing clothes off the rack from Marshalls. Speaking of which, what do I say if she comes in right now?”

“What you do without your monthly allowance is your own business, so long as you don’t overdraw.” The unchanging calm of Natalia’s expression was more irritating than usual. “And Ms. Lewis was seen passed out in the library, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“And my other friends?”

“With all due respect, your highness, you don’t  _ have _ other friends.” Natalia said, seeming a little smug. “You’re too thoroughly dedicated to your academics.”

“Ugh, I—” Jane stopped, realizing her phone was playing the love theme from  _ Star Wars. _ Don was calling her. “Hold on a sec.” She snatched it up before either of her entourage could. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Don’t we have a meeting?” he asked, playful smile evident in his tone. “Or am I being stood up?”

“No! No, you’re not getting stood up, I just… I have someone over here right now, and I… I need to put clothes on… Oh, my god, that came out completely wrong, I will be there in ten minutes! I am so, so sorry!”

Don laughed. “It’s not a problem. Do I have to fight someone, though? No clothes sounds so unlike you.”

“I needed new clothes! I was trying on new clothes with Nat! She went shopping!”

“Tell her I said hi.”

“No way, I’m mad at her right now!” Jane scrambled to get her jeans and flannel back on, hanging up the phone. “Look, we’ll have to do this another time, I’ve got someone waiting for me!” She grabbed her coat and bag and bolted all the way down to the little shop, arriving breathless and redfaced. “Coffee is totally on me today.”

“Jane, you don’t have to do that,” he said with a laugh. “Friends can surprise you sometimes.”

“No, no, I feel awful.”

“It’s alright. I’m not mad.”

“Please do be. I hate it when you’re this nice to me. No one can be this perfect. Just… have a flaw other than the occasional chauvinist slip up!”

Don smirked. “You think I’m perfect?” Because he definitely needed his ego stroked.

“You pay for my coffee, you pull out the chair for me, you offer to carry my stuff… you’re like a Disney prince, and it’s just not fair!”  _ Prince… Thor… Meeting over spring break… Wedding in a year and a half..  _

“It’s just that I’ve been raised to be polite. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes, it is! Because there has to be something wrong with you! There has to!”

Don laughed, and it wasn’t just a normal laugh. This was bust a gut, tears streaming down his face, loud laughter. He was just so amused by the thought of being perfect. 

“Okay, so you laugh at inappropriate times. That’s a start…” She huffed at him.

He started calming down, rubbing his eyes and trying to catch his breath. “Sorry. I just...I’m far from perfect, Jane. That you think I am is amusing.”

“Well, I don’t like that you find it amusing.”

“Why not?” He was genuinely interested in her logic.

“I don’t like being made fun of. I’m not here for your amusement.”

“I’m not making fun of  _ you _ , Jane. I promise. It’s just...I have a tendency of not seeing myself for who I am. I believe I’m worse in some areas, better in others. So for someone to view me as perfect...I just don’t understand it.”

“You honestly don’t? You’ve never had a girlfriend tell you that? The girl you’re ‘saving yourself’ for?”

Don shook his head. “I haven’t met her yet. And, no. You’re the first to tell me I’m perfect.”

“You haven’t  _ met _ her?!?” Jane shrieked. Several people looked over and shushed her.

“No,” he said softly. “I’ve been...putting it off. I told you that I’m not ready to be tied down.”

“Then why are you saving yourself for her? You don’t even know her!”

“I don’t necessarily have a choice.” God, he wished he could just say  _ I’m the crown prince of Asgard and am betrothed to that princess from Ameos that you talked about _ .

“Of course you have a choice, you’re in charge of your own life, aren’t you?”

“Sometimes.” He made a face, all sorts of emotions flashing across it.

“Yes, you do! You, of all people, you have the most privileged existence there is! And you’re not even going to do anything with it! Ugh, you just… you... ” Jane shook her head. Not an hour ago, she’d been thinking about kissing him. Now, it was way too easy to put those thoughts away. “I can’t do this, I need to go.”

He stood up. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be. Goodbye, Don. Good luck with the rest of your term here. Have a nice break.” Jane turned and headed back out the way she’d come.

* * *

 

It hurt, more than it should, watching her walk away. He was betrothed to someone else. He was the crown prince of Asgard, and the majority of his life had been chosen for him. But he couldn’t explain that to her, even if he had been five seconds away from doing exactly that. He ran his fingers through his hair, and he slowly picked up his things to go back to the apartment he was renting.

When he got there, someone was waiting for him. Someone pale, dark-haired and wiry. “Found you,” Loki gloated from the couch. “Took longer than I thought, honestly, I’m impressed.”

Thor jumped. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, obviously. Father’s been going mad, you’re supposed to be meeting your fiancée next week, and Mother’s been absurdly tightlipped about the whole thing. So, I checked where money was going from your personal accounts, you really need to change your password, by the way.”

“Mjolnir is an acceptable password. No one knows how to spell it properly.”

“I know how to spell it.”

“Yes, but our family was raised learning Old Norse. And, Mother knew where I was. She’s been helping me hide from Father. I wanted to get away. Live life. What’s wrong with that, Loki? I knew I’d come back and meet Jana eventually, but I’m still so young.”

“I’m younger than you. I’ve already  _ met _ my fiancée. And there is nothing wrong with accepting the hand life’s dealt us, and learning to work with it to make it enjoyable,” Loki rolled his eyes. “Damn, they really did spoil you. It’s sad, really. Anyway, Father knows where you are now.”

“I’ll be home next week, so what’s the point?”

“He wants you home so he can scold you  _ before _ the Royal family of Ameos arrives.”

“Can’t he just let me take my exams?”

“You aren’t going to need them. You already have your career decided.”

“But I’m  _ enjoying _ myself.”

“He’s not going to care.” Loki took out a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter. “You want one?”

He shouldn’t, but he took one of the cigarettes that were offered. “Thanks.”

Loki lit his own before tossing the lighter over and taking a long drag. “Sigyn’s great, by the way. Wonderful, really looking forward to the wedding. So don’t act like Jana’s a death sentence till you’ve met her. Though, the things I hear from Amora and Lorelei say she’s an uptight little brat.”

“That actually makes me feel better. Amora and Lorelei aren’t known for their best judgement of people.” He took a drag, too, relaxing slightly as the nicotine entered his system.

“Lorelei’s not half bad in bed, though.” Loki smirked, green eyes sparking wickedly.

“That’s disgusting,” Thor said, rolling his eyes.

“The pleasures of not being the heir. No one cares if I fuck an ambassador’s daugher or two, so long as I don’t get her pregnant.”

“I still can’t believe you actually slept with them.” 

“One of them. Just Lorelei. Amora’s saving herself for you.”

“Which isn’t going to happen. I’ve been taken since Jana was born.”

“Yeah? You’re wearing cologne. You had a date today, didn’t you? Where does Jana fall in all of that, hmm?”

“It wasn’t a date. It was a meeting. With talking involved. Besides, I’m not going to see her again.”

“So, she dumped you.” Loki clucked his tongue. “I’m sure your marriage with Jana is going to go just splendidly. You can’t get a girl to stay with you voluntarily, but maybe you’ll be able to keep one who’s obligated to stay.”

“It probably didn’t help that I couldn’t ever tell her the full truth.”

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Loki put out his cigarette on a plate in the kitchen. “Just come home with me, I’ve got the plane at Logan Airport, you can put this whole thing behind you.”

“I’m not giving in. I want to finish my exams, and then I’ll come home.”

“It’s your  _ midterms _ . They don’t matter! You’re playing at having a life you can never have, and it’s pointless!”

Thor sighed, running a hand over his face. He put out the cigarette. “No, but it’ll give me another week before I have to do anything. That’s what I want.”

“Then I’ll stay with you. I’ve always wanted to meet a real American college student.”

“Couch is all yours,” Thor said. “If anyone asks, your name is Robert Blake.”

“Very creative.”

“I panicked, okay? I’m not good at coming up with things under pressure.”

“Then why come here? Why not somewhere like  Cancún ? No one cares who you are in  Cancún .”

“Because I wanted to learn. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to experience things. I didn’t want to lay on a beach.”

“You’ve been laying on the wrong beaches then.” Loki huffed. “But fine. As His Majesty wishes.”

“Don’t call me that,” he pleaded. He hated his title. “And just because you enjoy doing whatever does not mean that I do.”

“Boring. So boring. I’m going to love living in Vanaheim.”

Thor rolled his eyes. “You’ve always found pleasure in the simpler things.”

“Well, there has to be something simple in my life, when I’m the interesting thing in so many other people’s.”

Thor laughed, a genuine laugh this time. “I don’t know if I’ve met someone who has the ego you do.”

“Of course not, I’m one of a kind.”

“HEY!” Someone was banging on the door very loudly. “HEY, BLAKE, OPEN UP SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS.”

Thor sighed, running a hand through his hair again. Of course Darcy would find him. “Darcy, now is not a good time!”

“And you think what you said to Jane was okay?!? You know how crazy she’s gotten with midterms! How could you, you two are supposed to be superclose!”

Thor strode over to the door, and he opened it a crack. “There are things going on in my life that neither of you know about, Darcy. I’m sorry that I upset Jane. I am. But I have things that I am obligated to do.”

“Yeah, well, now I think you’re obligated to go jump off a cliff!” There was the sound of boots stomping away, and then of Loki snickering.

“You dated a girl named  _ Jane _ . Clearly, someone’s trying to visualize certain things.”

“We didn’t date,” Thor replied.

“You look like you wanted to.”

“Of course I  _ wanted _ to. But I didn’t. I am promised to Jana, and I’m not going to do anything to go against that.”

“Well, then, as I think your American comrades say, you’re fucked.”

“It’s not as if she’ll talk to me again. Once I go and meet Jana, I probably won’t be allowed to come back.”

“Mmm, no, you won’t, Father’s already decided you’re grounded until you’re crowned.”

“Fantastic,” Thor said sarcastically. “I suppose I’ll be able to use that time to get to know Jana, should she not disappear to wherever she goes off to.”

“There’s some  _ wonderful _ tabloids about this. Some people think she eloped, others say she’s hiding from terrorists, it’s just delightful.”

“ _ What _ ?!?”

“Well, no one knows. It’s all speculation. Relax. Anyway, would it be the worst thing if she  _ had _ eloped with someone else? You could probably get someone else. Maybe this Jane girl, if you play your cards right. Of course, play them wrong, and you’d be disinherited. Though I wouldn’t object to that.”

“Thanks, Loki. Knew I could count on you.” 

“I’m your younger brother. This is what I do.”

“Yes, and you certainly do it well.”

“Do you have any liquor here? And I mean the good stuff, not the swill they sell at the airports.”

“In the cabinet,” Thor gestured towards it. “I’m surprised you didn’t search when you got here.”

“I’m not  _ that _ rude, Thor. You’re hurting my feelings.”

“You’ll get over it.” Thor sighed. “I’m going to bed. Feel free to do whatever you’d like, so long as it’s quiet.”

“Sweet dreams, big brother. I’m looking forward to this week.”

“I bet you are.” He was going to savor every last bit of freedom that he had.

* * *

Jane woke up from what was supposed to have been a powernap to see Natalia and Pepper standing over her, the redhead poking her. “Twelve-hour flight to Asgard,” she said, the Russian accent leaking in. “Plus time difference. You can sleep more on the plane, but you’re supposed to touch down at 3 PM their time.”

“I’m not dressed… or packed…”

“I took care of it, Princess, your current wardrobe isn’t suitable at all,” Pepper reassured her, helping Jane to sit up. “We can get everything taken care of on the plane, but we’re going to be late if we don’t go now.”

“My bag… I can’t leave it…” Ever since her fight with Donald, she’d abandoned her thesis and instead had started working on a more personal project, one related directly to her upcoming meeting with her fiancé and impending marriage.

“I’ll get it,” Natalia interrupted. “You make sure you don’t forget your engagement ring, that would be utterly mortifying for the entire country.”

“I’m sleep deprived, not stupid,” Jane snapped, pulling her phone and the ring box out of her underwear drawer, stuffing them into the bag Natalia was now holding out. “Where’s my coat….”

“Here, Princess.” Pepper helped her into it. “And your shoes. The car’s waiting outside.”

“Okay, okay, I’m up…” Jane slowly swung herself out of bed to pull on the black flats that Pepper was offering her. “I’m up, I’m moving, I’m going to my destiny.”

“Then don’t sound like it’s your execution.” Pepper wrapped an arm around her, shepherding her out of the room. “Quickly, now, quickly, we have a schedule to keep.” Jane groaned at the sound of heels clicking on tile as they stepped directly from the building to the waiting black Town Car.

“Conspicuous much?” she asked dryly.

“It gets us where we need to at a fast pace,” Natalia pointed out, stepping in after them and closing the door. “It’s not a traffic heavy time, but there’s only so long we can keep the jet waiting before the few patrons there start to notice, and someone passes news along to the press.”

“Remind me why we’re not using a private airfield then?”

“Longer trip out of the city that way,” Pepper pointed out. “And your father has the influence to reserve the hangar, so why not use it?”

“Ugh.” Jane pulled out her tablet and started scribbling equations with the stylus. “Of course he would say that.”

“You’re slumping, Princess, your mother won’t like that.”

“Mother’s not here,” Jane muttered, curling in on herself, and trying to nod off before they pulled up to Logan. Pepper prodded her back, and she opened her eyes to see that they’d actually parked on the runway. “Seriously?”

“We don’t need to deal with the hassle of security this way, everything is already on the plane.”

“Father said I’d be traveling incognito, not taking the royal jet!”

“Plans change, this was determined to be the safer option,” Natalia answered, opening the door and escorting her out and up the stairs of the plane. Jane opted to immediately stumble into the sleeper cabin and fall forward onto the nearest bed. The one upside to being a princess was this, in her opinion, well, this and the level of education she’d gotten.

Once they were in the air, she did her best to get back to sleep until someone prodded her into consciousness again. “We need to get you ready, we’ll be there in two hours.” It was Pepper.

“You couldn’t have given me another thirty minutes?” Jane whined, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes, only to have her hand smacked away.

“You’ll give yourself bags.”

“Hello, Christine,” Jane grumbled as the stylist started pulling at her hair with a brush. “Please, go rougher on my roots, why don’t you?”

“It’s your own fault for not taking better care of your looks, your highness,” the blonde retorted, gathering Jane’s hair together. “These split ends are just atrocious.”

“I go to Harvard to study, not take care of my hair.”

“The hair is just the beginning, you look sun deprived, you have bags under your eyes, you are a mess.”

“I— don’t— care!” Jane winced with every pin that Christine jammed into her now-coiled hair. “Okay, I’m pretty sure this is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.”

“What do you think, Ms. Potts?” Christine asked, stepping back.

“I think it’s a bit much for just getting off the plane, we’ll have time before the banquet that evening to do a more elaborate style. Maybe just a French twist with the pins from her sixteenth birthday. I’ll get them from the jewel case.”

“God forbid I get some input in how I look.”

“You would leave your hair down and your face bare, and that is not an acceptable way for you to look when meeting foreign dignitaries, particualrly the foreign dignitaries who are your future family-in-law,” Pepper answered. “And before you complain about the patriarchal society that dictates women be reduced to pretty faces, I would like to point out that your appearance also reflects on Ameos.”

“Why, God, why have you forsaken me?” Jane wailed as Christine undid the updo and started brushing again.

“Probably all the Nietzche,” Natalia suggested with a smirk.

“That class was interesting, it doesn’t mean I endorse his values or beliefs! Ow!”

“Hold still,” Christine scolded, taking the pins from Pepper and deliberately jabbing Jane in the head with one. “Your highness.”

“The honorifics mean nothing when you sound that sarcastic, you know.”

“If it weren’t for your parents and the fact that I would be out of a job with a destroyed reputation, I’d be very tempted to ruin your makeup once I’m done with this bird’s nest you call your hair.”

* * *

 

“There’s the plane. Excited?” Loki asked, giving Thor a punch on the arm. “You’re about to meet her.”

Thor was standing perfectly still, not even moved by Loki’s punch. “Nervous,” he admitted. “She’s going to be my wife.”

“Unless she married someone else.”

“Boys,” Frigga warned, hissing through her tight smile. “Decorum.”

“Apologies,” Thor mumbled, putting a smile back on his face. A few feet away, the King and Queen of Ameos were waiting silently, just watching the plane pull up. Service people rolled up the steps, the door opened. And the person who stepped out…. was Jane.

It took everything Thor had to _not_ react, but he was dumbfounded. She looked completely different, her hair up, in a matching pink skirt and jacket, and _wearing_ _makeup_ , of all things, but it was undoubtedly her. She didn’t say anything, didn’t react to the cameras flashing at her, just putting one pointed shoe in front of the other as she walked towards her parents.

Thor’s eyes followed, and he knew that he had to keep up his composure. But he was just so astounded. Jane was Jana? Of course, he’d said he was Donald Blake. She gave each of her parents a kiss on the cheek then, moved towards his family, and sank into a picture perfect curtsy.

“It’s an honor, your Majesties.”

“Welcome, Princess Jana. It is an honor to have you,” Frigga gushed. The smile that Jane—  _ Jana _ gave her in response seemed a bit forced, and she greeted Odin with about the same amount of enthusiasm. Then she raised her face to accomodate looking at Thor, and their eyes met. Her mouth started to form the word  _ Donald,  _ but then she seemed to remember where they were, and instead, dipped into another curtsy in front of him.

“A pleasure to meet you at last, Prince Thor,” she said, her voice deeper than it normally sounded.

“It most definitely is, Princess Jana. I hope your travels were comfortable.”

“Enjoyable enough,” Jane—  _ Jana _ answered non-committally as she looked at her parents. “And I am grateful, as always for the opportunities my parents have been so kind as to afford me.”

“We are glad to see you recognize them, daughter,” King Niklas replied, just as formally. It was actually rather depressing to see them so detached, given their relationship.

“Perhaps it is time to move back to the palace,” King Odin said, glancing around at the cameras.

“Princess, may I escort you?” Thor held out his arm to Jana, and she looped hers through.

“You may. I’m very much looking forward to getting to know you better.” There was a trace of the irony Jane loved to use when she said that.

“Thank you so much for your warm greetings,” Loki snarked, latching his own arm through Jane’s other. “I think I’m going to like having you for a sister. So glad it worked out,  _ Jana _ .”

“Prince Thor, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I already hate your brother.”

“He gets on everyone’s nerves. I don’t know why his betrothed likes him.”

“Sigyn, unlike the rest of the world, has great taste.”

Thor laughed, much more at ease now that he knew that Jane was Jana, even though he knew that they’d have to talk. “Of course she does.”

“Into the car, Princess.” Natalie appeared to have materialized at their elbows. “We’re still in a dangerous position at this point.”

“Thor, you remember Natalia Romanova, my bodyguard?” Jana asked as they slid into the Rolls Royce.

“Of course. Nice to see you again.”

“Next time you go incognito, try disguising yourself a little better,” the redhead scolded. “I knew who you were immediately.”

Thor shrugged. “It wasn’t a thought out plan. I was sort of winging it. Didn’t even have a solid alias for a while.”

“You didn’t tell me! I hate you!” Jana pouted as her bodyguard seated herself across from them. Loki reached his hand forward to touch Natalia’s knee and she grabbed his wrist, twisting until he yelped.

“Do not touch. And hands off my princess, please. I have orders from their majesties.”

“Does that include me?” Thor asked with a pout, wanting to keep holding Jana’s hand.

“No, you’re in the clear, your highness. So long as it stays appropriate.”

“I won’t do anything that she doesn’t want me to,” Thor promised. He squeezed Jana’s hand. “This is fine, right?”

“Yes. But remember what I said. Dating.” Jana crossed her legs— at the ankles, not the knees, something debutantes did. He should have noticed that, she’d done it all the time at Harvard.

“Of course. I would love to date you. You have no idea how many times I almost asked you out. This was the only thing that prevented me from doing so.”

“Okay, I need to ask. Did you actually sleep with Amora? The ambassador’s daughter? Because I have been hearing about it for years, and it drives me nuts.”

“No. Loki has slept with Lorelei, but I didn’t sleep with either of them.”

“Oh, thank god. I had no idea what kind of person you were, she was all I had to go on.”

“Didn’t anything I say at Harvard dissuade you of those notions? Amora and Lorelei both are big on gossip. They exaggerate everything. I don’t know if they know how to tell the truth.”

“That’s not fair. I don’t know how much of Harvard was true and how much wasn’t.” Natalia chose that moment to pass over two magazines and Jane covered her mouth to suppress a shriek. “Where did they get these pictures?!? That’s from high school! And I  _ hate _ this portrait!”

Thor sighed, running his hand through his hair. “They make me look like some model.”

“How did they even get those of you, I thought…” Loki snickered over Jane’s fretting and they both turned to look at him.

“You didn’t.”

“I was bored.”

“This is why you shouldn’t be allowed around anything,” Thor said with a sigh.

“I’m just disappointed you’re only seeing this now.” Loki shrugged. “I thought it was funny.”

“You think most things are funny.”

“You’re dull enough that I have a low bar set for what qualifies as amusing.”

“Jane knows I’m not dull,” Thor protested.

“She doesn’t count, you’re engaged.”

“We didn’t know that!”

“Can he be in another car next time? Please? I already want to punch him.”

“That sounds like a great idea. But, don’t worry, he’ll be in Vanaheim eventually.”

“I can hear both of you, you know.”

“Yes, that is the point.”

“I have it in me to ruin your entire week together, you know. And in case you’ve forgotten, you’re not going back to Harvard at the end of the week.”

“I’m sorry,  _ what _ ?” Jana’s voice went up a few decibels again.

“Oh, right. Father sort of grounded me until I’m crowned for disappearing and not telling him anything. And probably because he was upset that Mother chose my side.”

“That is so unfair!” Jana protested indignantly. “Tell him it’s in the best interest of the alliance or something!”

“We can just tell him that it will allow us to get to know each other better, and it will aid in the strengthening of our future marriage.”

“Okay, good, because I’m working on amending my graduation speech now, and I will kill you if you’re not there.”

“You get to give a speech at graduation?” he asked.

“If I get valedictorian, yes.”

“Wow. I am just. Why do I continue being surprised by you?”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve talked about this before. The first time we met.”

“Mmhmm.” He kissed her knuckles again. “And you said  _ I _ was perfect. You’re pretty amazing.”

“You’ve lost your perfect credit for lying to me.”

“Good. I’m glad that you don’t have that ridiculous notion in your head anymore.”

“I haven’t thought you were perfect since we fought in the coffee shop. I ended up having to scrap my paper to, because we’ve proved nothing about whether or not men and women can be friends without sex getting in the way.”

“Sex hasn’t gotten in the way. Yet.”

“We’re engaged. We’re going to get married, and unify our countries, and at some point, we will  _ have _ to have sex, or else there isn’t going to be anyone after us. And… well, I’d kind of like to have a family. Some day. Maybe.”

“Some day,” Thor agreed. “But for now, let’s enjoy the dating thing.” He kissed her temple.

“If we even get to date,” Jane grumbled. “But I stand by what I said, my paper is completely ruined knowing you’re my fiancé. Though it was kind of already ruined by the thing in the coffeeshop, because… well, sex was getting in the way.”

“Was that sex, or just our feelings for one another? Romance and sex  _ are _ separate.”

“The point is that we weren’t platonic, Thor.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed. “I’m glad that it was you, though. I would have hated it if I’d had to marry someone else.”

“While all of this is fascinating, I suggest the two of you stop talking before I decide I want to start a pregnancy rumor,” Loki interrupted. “We’re here.”

“If you do, you won’t be able to have any children of your own,” Thor promised.

“Too late for that,” Loki smirked. “Or didn’t I tell you my wedding was moving up?”

“No, you failed to mention that. You couldn’t keep it in your pants for a few months?”

“Sigyn is just as guilty in this as I am.”

“ _ Please _ tell me you have a different best man planned,” Jane begged. “I don’t know how much more of this I can hear.”

“It’s tradition, Jane. I don’t have a choice in being his best man. Nor does he in being mine.”

“Oh, lovely.”

“Smiles on, your highnesses, there are cameras out there,” Natalia prompted.

“It’s easy to smile with Jane by my side.” Thor grinned, squeezing her hand.

“Jana,” she reminded him softly. “They’ll want you to call me Jana.”

“Right,” he answered. “Jana.” It was going to take a while to get used to that. A valet opened the car door on Thor’s side to the flashes of multiple cameras.

“Prince Thor, Princess Jana, over here!”

“What was that going on at the airport?”

“Are you going to address the allegations made as to where you’ve been?”

“Where I’ve been has been my own private business, but it was not to hide from Jana. She’s amazing.” Thor grinned at her once more.

“I’ve been pursuing my education,” Jane answered, her voice smooth and professional. “That  _ is _ the motto of my family, after all.  _ Sapientiam super omnes. _ ”

“What about the allegations that you eloped, Your Highness?” The question was directed to Princess Jana.

“I have no time for that sort of nonsense.” Jane’s arm tightened a little on Thor’s arm. “Besides, why would I elope when I have a perfectly good fiancé right here?”

“Princess Jana is  _ extremely _ dedicated to her education,” Thor agreed. “She’s the most intelligent person I’ve ever met.”

“And where have  _ you _ been, Prince Thor?”

“Exploring the world. Living life. Having some fun. Though, before you even ask, the only woman in my life is Princess Jana. And my mother and cousin.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a—” Jane was cut off by a flurry of black curls charging towards them and smacking into Thor for a hug, and she had to fight down a very un-princesslike  _ what the fuck _ .

“I missed you so much! How could you just disappear like that? You should have called me!”

Thor laughed, and he gave his cousin a squeeze. “Apologies, Riona. I did not mean to worry you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Riona, this is my fianceé, Princess Jana. Princess Jana, this is Riona.”

Riona curtsied, low to the ground. “A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

“Uh… hi… Lady Riona…” Jane stammered, clearly still a little flustered by Riona’s arrival.

Thor squeezed Jane’s hand. “I apologize, Princess Jana. My cousin takes some time to get used to.”

Riona blushed slightly. “Prince Thor is my favorite cousin,” she said. Jane leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek and whispered something into the dark curls that was probably something along the lines of ‘there’s a shock,’ though Thor couldn’t hear it.

“Can we go inside? I’m sure the princess is jet-lagged,” Loki interrupted. “Cousin, will you allow me to escort you?”

“Of course.” Riona wrapped her arm around Loki’s, and she leaned onto tip toes to kiss his cheek. “I missed you as well, with your disappearing act.”

“Are you ready for the tour, Princess Jana?” Thor asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it all nine hours I was on the plane, but I think that can wait til after dinner.”

“As you wish,” he said. “I’m sure there will be a grand feast.”

“Oh, no.” Jane paled as the color drained out of her face. “They’ll make me change for that. Why couldn’t it have been a private one…”

“Because Asgard does not do anything halfway,” Thor told her. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”

“I’m sorry, did you not see the picture? They make me wear that kind of stuff all the time, I hate it.”

“At least you’ll be able to wear Aesir fashion after we’re married.”

“Can I wear my hair down?”

“Yes. And you won’t have to wear that ridiculous makeup, either. My mother likes to wear her hair up because it keeps it out of her face. But you can keep yours down if you’d like.”

“Don’t call the makeup ridiculous in front of my parents,” she reminded him as Natalia and the strawberry blonde woman from the plane started guiding her away. “I’ll see you later!”

“Good luck!” Thor called.

“Wait for me!” Riona cried, picking up the skirts of her dress to hurry after them.

* * *

 

Jane had decided the only thing worse than enduring makeup and hairstyling was having to do it twice in one day, especially if it was for even more formal events like balls. She could feel pins poking into her scalp, and all her organs felt like they were being simultaneously crushed and rearranged. Of course, before she could complain and ask for a different dress, Pepper and Natalia were swooping in on the other side and whisking her towards a huge set of double doors where Thor was already waiting in silver armor and a red cape. It should have been way too much, but he made it work.

“My lady,” Thor said, offering her his arm once more, much more relaxed now that she was back by his side.

“Prince Thor,” she retorted as she rested her hand on top of his. “Any chance you know how long state functions typically last?”

“A couple hours. Most of it’s eating. Don’t worry.” 

“I am worried, look at this dress!” Jane poked the stomacher. “I can barely breathe, let alone eat.”

“Just take small bites. If you watch Riona, she spends most of the time talking to the people around her, and she actually eats when she gets back to her room.”

“Your family is kind of crazy,” Jane muttered as the doors opened on them.

“Yep,” he answered as he grinned, waving at the people in the tables around. Jane tried to smile, but this was far too new to her. Summer functions in Ameos were relatively small, and she’d never been considered the guest of honor at them. Here, she and Thor were positioned at the very center of the table, there was practically a spotlight on them.

“I feel dizzy.”

“Just breathe,” Thor said. “Everything will be okay.”

“You’ll catch me if I faint, right?”

“I’ll always catch you.”

“Good to know.” She took the very full looking wine glass in front of her and raised it along with everyone else as Odin made a few opening remarks, then took the tiniest sip that she possibly could.

Thor drank almost half the glass in one gulp. It was the only way he could actually make it through these things. It was a lot of schmoozing. “To us,” he said to Jane.

“Uh… huh…” she said slowly, staring at him incredulously. “That doesn’t happen often, does it?”

“I only drink at these things. It’s the only way I can get through them,” he told her.

“That bad?” she asked, tearing into one of the rolls in front of them and putting a more manageable piece in her mouth.

Thor nodded. “Don’t expect them to get better when we’re crowned. Then we actually have to deal with the politics as well as the schmoozing.”

Her lips twitched a little. “You have such an American vocabulary sometimes.”

“Darcy rubbed off on me,” he muttered.

“She’ll have a fit when we come back a couple,” Jane laughed a little.

Thor snickered. “She came to my apartment and yelled at me about our fight.”

“Of course she did, she’s Darcy. Nothing if not protective of her people. And I was there first, so I got dibs.”

“Dibs?” It wasn’t one of the things he’d picked up.

“She’s my friend before she’s yours. Automatically on my side.”

“Ah. That’s understandable. I think I might have to teach Riona that, because I feel like she’s already liking you more than she likes me.”

“Well, I’m a new face,” Jane pointed out. “She’ll get used to me soon enough.”

“I’m glad that we’re stuck with each other.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Don’t worry. I’m still going to date you. I’ve been trying to get ideas for our first one since we had to part earlier.”

“Please don’t talk about what’s going to happen in the future, it’s only going to make getting through tonight tougher,” she whispered as the courses were changed.

“Look at me,” he said softly, taking her hand. “I promise that no matter what happens, I will always be here.”

She looked up at him, and her face softened a little. “I’m sorry… You know how I am… I get stressed.”

“Yes, you do. You take on so much, but you always overcome it. You’re going to make an amazing Queen one day, and your schooling will only help make everything that much easier for you.”

“Hmmm.” Her lips pursed a little as she poked at the meat on her plate.

“What?” Thor asked, taking a bite of the meat. He was definitely a carnivore.

“Nothing. Not here, anyway.”

“We’ll take a walk after the feast. We won’t be allowed to sleep near each other.” He rolled his eyes at how old-fashioned things were.

“I expected nothing less.” She picked up her glass, raising it at him. “To an outdated patriarchal system that places an unrealistically high value on the myth of the hymen.”

“ _ Princess _ , _ ”  _ Natalia hissed over her shoulder, “your parents are watching.” Jane rolled her eyes and waved her off.

Thor was busy trying to pretend that his snickers were coughs. He didn’t think he was doing a good job. “Cheers,” he said to Jane, raising his glass at her.

“Bottoms up,” she grinned, tipping her glass back. Of course, she’d forgotten her rather low alcohol tolerance, because she suddenly got very giggly. “Whoops…”

“Everything alright?” Thor asked, raising an eyebrow at her ‘whoops’.

“There’s two of you now… you both look really pretty.”

Thor took her glass. “Okay, no more for you.”

“Awww, you’re mean,” she pouted. “Don’t be mean, this is supposed to be a party, isn’t it?”

“It is, but I would rather be able to talk to you when you know what you’re saying.”

“We could stop talking and you could take me out on that dance floor, neither of us ever went to a party at Harvard, remember?” she suggested, her words slightly slurred.

“You want to dance?” he asked, eyes lighting up slightly. He greatly enjoyed dancing.

“You’ll need to support me, but yeah… yeah, I wanna dance.”

Thor smirked. “I can do that.” He offered her his hand, unsure if she’d be steady enough to walk. She stumbled a little as she stood, even tripping over the skirt and right into his arms.

“Whoops,” she said again, giggling even more.

Thor laughed, amazed that such a small amount of alcohol affected her so much. “I got you, Jane,” he whispered. 

“Jana,” she reminded him as they moved onto the dance floor amidst applause from the other guests.

“Jana,” he repeated, lifting her slightly to put her feet on top of his. “Let’s not have you trip again. Deal?”

“Deal.”

* * *

 

It seemed like hours before they finally managed to slip out of the hall and be alone, thanks in no small part to Riona’s maneuverings. Jane was now gaining back her control as the alcohol wore off. “That was a mistake,” she said, still half laughing.

“You’re cute when intoxicated,” he teased, kissing her forehead. 

“It’s not going to be cute when I’m hungover in the morning and my parents are scolding me, though,” she pointed out as they moved down the steps from the terrace into the gardens. “You bring it out in me, I think.”

“What do you mean?” he inquired.

“I mean,  _ Prince Thor _ , I had no trouble being a proper little princess before today. Then… you happened to me.”

“You think me strange?” he asked.

“Yes. Very.”

“Good strange or bad strange?”

“I want to say good, but I’m still figuring that part out. I think it’s the whole knowing you were Don this whole time, it’s throwing me off. I don’t like not being in control and not knowing things.”

“Why do you think I wanted to get away? I was going to have to marry a stranger. Nothing was in my hands. And then I met you, and I just wanted to be with you, to be honest, and I couldn’t. Not until you were revealed as Princess Jana.”

“I wanted…. okay, well,  I don’t know what I wanted, I think what I wanted was being able to choose what I wanted, and…. I’m making my own head hurt, this should probably be saved for a discussion in my feminist theory classes. But there was that thing I wanted to ask you about, that I couldn’t, back in the hall.”

“What is it?”

“Legislature I’d want us to put into effect immediately. The dissolution of the monarchy in favor of a republic.”

Thor grinned. “Power to the people. We can live our own lives.”

“And if my parents have a conniption or two, so much the better,” Jane giggled, glancing over her shoulder. “You really think we can pull it off?”

“I think we can. We managed to hide our identities for months, so why can’t we do this until we’re crowned?”

“Well, it’ll be kind of annoying to keep hearing the lectures. And the only reason I thought it up was so that there could be the possibility of an annulment if you turned out to be a jackass.”

Thor laughed. “I hope my mother has brought me up better than that. However, if you would like to break things off for any reason, I would respect that.”

“We haven’t even started dating yet, I’m waiting to see how you do with that before I decide if I’m breaking up with you.”

“Thank you for that.”

“Only you would thank a girl for thinking about breaking up with you.”

“I’m thanking you for giving me a chance before you  _ think _ about  _ maybe _ breaking up with me.” He gave her a smug smile.

“You’re pushing it right now, Odinson, and I have a big rock on my fist right now.”

“Ah, thank you for the warning.” 

“Well, I’d hope you’d know, this is your family ring, isn’t it?” she wiggled it in front of his face.

“Aye, it is. I hadn’t realized that you’d been given it already. I know that I didn’t give it to you.”

“I got it when I hit puberty. Charming notion, isn’t it? Give a thirteen year old a ring that could feed a small country and say, ‘this is so you can marry a stranger, don’t lose it.’”

“That must’ve been a grand present.” He rolled his eyes. “My parents told me of our marriage more tactfully, at least.”

“Really, how did you hear about it?”

“They sat me down, and they told me how princes have their duties. They told me that there were some things that had to be done, and one of them was marrying the daughter of another country for an alliance. So, they told me that when we came to a certain age, I was to marry you.”

“At least you got more stability. I never spent more than a year in one place, and I didn’t really make friends. You got to have a home here, and your weird brother, and your overly happy cousin….”

“I was lucky. I am lucky. Even with the crazy family I have.” He couldn’t argue about her descriptions of Loki and Riona.

“Thor?”

“Yes?” He looked at her curiously, blue eyes softening at the tone of her voice.

“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”

“Mostly because we haven’t truly been alone yet. Would you like me to?”

“I don’t know. I keep… I keep feeling like I expect it, but you never get my lips. It’s a little… teasing at this point.”

Thor smiled softly. “I’d like to kiss you.”

“Well, we’re alone now, aren’t we?” Thor’s smile grew, and he leaned down, eyes closing as the distance between their lips lessened. His lips brushed hers softly, tentative at first, before pressing against hers in a real kiss. Jane wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. And then a camera flash went off, and she jerked away with a shriek. “What the hell!”

“Who is there?” Thor demanding, voice a growl.There was no answer, just the rustling of bushes as someone in dark clothes bolted out, running for the wall.

“Get back here!” Jane yelled, face bright red. Their first kiss, caught on camera, how humiliating.

Thor took off after the photographer, determined to make sure that those photos never made the tabloids. The paparazzo was halfway up the wall at this point, and gaining distance. However, Thor had the advantage, having spent a lot of his childhood climbing around this place. He managed to get up the wall and cut the photographer off. 

“Camera. Now,” he growled. The man shook his head, trembling at the hulking blond now in front of him.

“I don’t have a camera, man, I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“I’m not going to let you sell those photos. That was a  _ private _ moment.”

“We’re not stupid,” Jane added, folding her arms as she marched over. “We  _ know _ you did it, and you should be ashamed of yourself, now give him the camera, or I’ll scream.”

“Worst case scenario is that she doesn’t draw over the guards, but my cousin,” Thor said. “Best case scenario, you give me the camera, and we pretend this never happened.”

“I don’t have a camera!” the man insisted. “It’s on my phone, I’m not giving you my phone.”

“ _ Americans _ .” Jane groaned.

“You are giving me your phone if you want to make it out of here without any broken bones.”

“Aw, come on, man, I just got it.”

“Give.” Jane said again.

“Do you really want to test me?” The Asgardian prince was still in armor, and he knew that he could easily dislocate the man’s shoulder, should it come to that.

“I don’t think you’re that tough, pretty boy.”

Thor grabbed the man’s arm, twisting it harshly, though not enough to dislocate his shoulder. “I can break you in half if I want,” he growled.

“Okay, okay, you can take the phone, just let go, please…. owwwwww.”

“Hmmm.” Jane reached forward, locating the phone in a pocket inside the man’s jacket. “We’re still calling the guards, you know? I’m pretty sure you’ve committed at least two crimes tonight.”

“Guards!” Thor shouted, voice deep and with the full authority that a prince should have. Unsurprisingly, Natalia was there just as quickly, if not sooner, moving close to Jane.

“You know this is entirely the reason I’m supposed to be around, Princess,” she scolded.

“I wasn’t alone, though,” Jane protested. “And you’re supposed to keep people from shooting me or blowing me up.”

“Am I not good enough protection?” Thor asked. “I nearly dislocated his shoulder without trying.”

“It’s very impressive, your highness, but that’s not the point.”

“Well, what are we going to do with him?” Thor shoved the man towards Natalia.

“I will handle. You two go back inside, before something else happens and my pay gets docked.”

Thor offered Jane his arm. “Shall we, Princess?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, we shall.” She took his arm, sighing dramatically. “How long do you think it’ll take for us to get my plan into effect?”

“Depends on how long it takes us for us to actually be coronated.” Thor knew his father wasn’t happy about his disappearing act. “Which may be a while, if my father decides to punish me for heading to Harvard.”

“Maybe…. Do you think if we moved things up, he’d be willing to forgive you?” she wondered aloud, though softly. “I mean, I know it puts pressure on us, as… well…we can have our own lives the sooner we have this happen.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s possible. But I don’t know if you want to move things up. Don’t you want to get through your degree?”

“My parents will let me finish, but if things happened within the next six months instead of eighteen, I mean…”

“Do you  _ want _ to get married that quickly? I thought you wanted to date?” He didn’t want her to rush things just for him.

“I  _ do _ , but at the same time, the end result is going to be the same, isn’t it?”

“I suppose it will be, but I want to respect what you want. You don’t have to rush things for me. I’ll deal with the consequences of running off.”

“You shouldn’t be punished for wanting your own life.”

“No, but I won’t make you deal with those consequences.” He brought the back of her hand up to his lips. “I care about you too much for that.”

“And I’m glad you do, but this isn’t about just one of us, it’s about both of us, and what we can do for our people.”

“Shall we talk to them after the feast is over, then?”

“Yes, but don’t bring up the Republic thing.”

“Of course not.”

“I’ll go find Riona, we can do some pictures for the press or whatever.”

Thor chuckled. “She likes you. She’s quite excited to have you here.”

“I noticed.”

* * *

 

“Mother, Father. Could I speak with you, please?” Thor was hesitant, trying to put on an apologetic act for his father. Odin and Frigga looked up from the after dinner brandy they were sharing with Jane— Jana’s parents.

“Shall we go?” her father asked, displaying a much gruffer voice than Thor had expected for a man with such a round face.

“No, I don’t think so,” Odin said, arching the eyebrow over his one good eye. “My son needs to recall how to conduct himself in front of other monarchs, after all, since he’s been gone so long.”

“My apologies, your majesties.” Thor gave a slight bow to Jana’s parents. “I think it is best if you stay, though. Princess Jana and I have been talking, and we were thinking of moving our wedding up. If it is alright with all of you. We were thinking in the next six months.”

Jana’s mother was all but  _ beaming  _ as she clutched her husband’s arm, whispering something in Ameosan, but Frigga looked a little perplexed. “That’s.. wonderful, dear. Though I’m surprised Jana didn’t come here to say this with you.”

“She thought it would be best to do some photos for the press. Riona is with her.” Thor was still unsure as to how good of an idea that was, given his cousin’s excitability.

“I never thought Harvard would do that to her, but she’s making me so proud today!” the queen of Ameos declared giddily.

Thor grinned at her. “She will make a fine queen, and I’m sure that it was more than Harvard. You seem like a woman who raised her daughter well.”

“If you think this gets you out of being punished for what you did, you are sorely mistaken—”

“Thor, maybe you should tell your father where you’ve been for the last few months?” Frigga interrupted.

“I was at Harvard,” Thor said. “I was trying to see the world, learn more about it. There I met Princess Jana, though we were both using different names.” Thor grinned, remembering how he’d fallen in love with her. “We didn’t know who the other really was until meeting earlier today, but I knew she was without a doubt the love of my life. We’d like to go back to Harvard and graduate, if you’ll allow that.”

There was a moment’s pause as Odin stared at him, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’ll be the death of me,” he muttered.

“ _ Odin. _ ”

“Father, I was hoping that you would compromise with me. Princess Jana and I are willing to be married soon, but we’d like to finish school.”

“Weddings take time to arrange—”

“And we will be more than happy to see to it while the two of you are in Massachusetts,” Frigga announced, looking to her Ameosan counterpart. “Won’t we, Elizabeta?”

“Absolutely.” Elizabeta beamed, an almost manic gleam in her eyes that was slightly unnerving.

“Thank you so much, Mother. Queen Elizabeta. You two are amazing.” Thor kissed his mother’s cheek and gave the Ameosan queen another bow.

“Don’t try anything funny with my daughter,” Elizabeta’s husband warned. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure of that.”

“Of course, your majesty. I would never do anything that Princess Jana would not allow me to do. I have the utmost respect for her.”

“Don’t mind Niklas, dear, he’s just a grumpy bear,” Elizabeta reassured Thor. “Go join the party, spend some time together, and leave the business to us while you still can.”

“Thank you, Queen Elizabeta.” Thor gave her another smile. “I think I’ll rescue Princess Jana from Riona now.”

* * *

 

“Oh, my god, that went on  _ forever _ .” Jane fell backwards onto the bed in the main cabin, looking over at Thor. “At least you managed to get them to let us go back to school. I never thought a week could be so tiring.”

“I know.” Thor sat down next to her, and he reached out to play with her hair. “I’m just glad that your mother is just as amenable as mine.”

“I hate your brother, though. I mean, he’s just horrible. How did you  _ live _ with him?”

“Because he’s my brother, and it would be frowned upon if I killed him.” He said it completely straight faced, but he didn’t actually mean it. As annoying as Loki was, he’d never kill his brother.

“Yeah, we’re not letting him come back after we dismantle the monarchy.” Jane took out her tablet again and started amending the document to do exactly that. “How often do you think is appropriate for elections?"

“Hmm. At least four years long. We want to give the politicians time to do something before the people decide that they should be re-elected or voted out.” Thor didn’t know much about politics, though. He’d been raised to become King. He knew how to be the heavy-handed ruler.

“And there should probably be a term limit, but I don’t think we want to go  _ too _ American, you know?”

“I agree. Three or four terms, depending on how long we allow them to lead.”

“Three years, three terms, maybe. And there should be two in the executive branch, one for each of the two nations being represented, and an equal balance in legislative representatives.”

“Yes, that sounds very good. A lot of Asgard isn’t populated, as we mostly have clusters, but there are still a lot of people here, so how many representatives would be a good balance?”

“Let’s see, Asgard’s got a population of about fifteen thousand, Ameos is around twelve thousand, that means we’re rounding up to thirty thousand. If we have two senators for every thousand, still rounding, that brings us up to sixty. Seems fair?”

“Yeah, that sounds very fair. Sixty for each nation, a hundred and twenty in total. Obviously elected by each nation.”

“No, I meant sixty total. Thirty each,” Jane corrected gently. “If we go up to a hundred and twenty, things might start getting messy.”

“Ah. Yes, that would probably be best. We definitely don’t need the politics to turn into a mess.”

“Considering they’ll blame  _ us _ if it all goes belly-up.” Jane moved to one of the chairs, strapping herself in. “Come on, we’re about to take off and head back. Buckle up.”

“Alright.” Thor moved to the chair next to her, and he took her hand. 

“Seatbelt,” she reminded him again

Thor whined, but he did as she said. He didn’t like the seatbelts.

“Look, flying requires it, once we’re up in the air, it’ll be fine,” she chided. “Shouldn’t you know this?”

“Yes, but I don’t like seatbelts. They’re constricting.” Thor adjusted the seatbelt, trying to find the most comfortable position across his large frame.

“My dashing prince,” she scoffed a little. “At least we didn’t get any more photographers busting in on us, that would’ve made break even more insufferable.”

“Yeah, I think that we scared them.” Thor grinned at her.

“Don’t do that. It’s super unfair. You know what that look does to me.” His grin turned into a smirk. She was far too good for his ego. Even though she also knew how to squash it. She hit him with the tablet on his shoulder. “Smartass.”

“You know it.”

“You’re giving me the look again.”

“I like giving you the look.” His smirk lingered.

“Well, wait to give me that look until we’ve had at least four proper dates, or I’ll hit you again.”

“How many proper dates have we had?”

“None. Balls don’t count. Neither do formal banquets. Or the coffee we got under platonic circumstances.”

“Well, do you have a preference for our first proper date, or should I surprise you?” 

“Surprise me. But nothing over the top.”

“Deal,” he answered, grinning.

“Hmmm. So… what are we telling Darcy when we show up?”

“That I groveled and you let me back in your life?”

“It has to be better than that, she’ll want details…. Okay, do it once we’ve flattened out. Grovel to me properly.” She was being a little malicious, but he could do with it, honestly. She liked being able to lord it over him.

“You actually want me to grovel?”

“I’m a terrible liar. I need to see it happen if I’m going to describe it.”

Thor sighed. “Okay. I’ll have to think about how to do it.”

“We have a ten hour flight. I’ll be in the bed, working on my valedictorian speech.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and ducked into the little alcove the bed provided, switching to a fresh note page on her tablet.

“Alright. Good luck.”

“I don’t need it, but thank you.” She tapped her fingers on the tablet’s edge. “Are you sure you won’t be bored?”

“No, I can use the time to figure out how to grovel, because it is really not my thing.” 

“Of course not, we’re royals. People grovel to us.”

“Yes, but I think you noticed that I can be arrogant. Cocky. Groveling really isn’t  _ my _ thing.”

“You forgot pigheaded and stubborn.”

“Of course.” Thor gave a self-deprecating smile. 

“And a touch chauvinistic, but I blame the patriarchy for that.”

“Thank you? I think?”

“Don’t worry, you’re improving. I might even have it trained out of you by the time we graduate.”

“I’m not a dog.”

“Humans can have conditioned responses too. I know that much about psychology.”

“I still don’t appreciate the phrasing.”

“You were in the military though. Didn’t that involve training?”

“It’s training to learn a skill set. Not a behavior.”

“They include behaviors, too. Like responding to a commanding officer.”

“Why do you always have to be right?”

“Because I’ve been going to literally every good school in the world since I could talk. It makes me the smart one.”

“I guess it does. Which is why you’ll figure out your speech.” 

“Will I, though? Will I?”

“Of course you will. There’s nothing you can’t do.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Perhaps it’s part of my groveling,” he teased.

“Not good enough.”

“I did say  _ part _ .”

“Yeah, so where’s the rest of it,  _ Blake _ .”

“The rest of it is that I am a major ass, and will you please forgive me, you goddess sent down to Earth? Would you please allow me the  _ honor _ of coming back into your life?  _ Please _ ?” He added his puppy eyes in for good measure.

Goddess. She blinked up at him, somewhat impressed. “I’ll consider it.”

* * *

 

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, remarks from this year’s class valedictorian, Jane Foster.” At the mention of her name, Jane exhaled, slightly grateful for the years of training to walk in ridiculous heels on any and all surfaces. She glanced back over her shoulder to find Thor in the crowd. He was with the B’s, towards the front, giving her a reassuring smile. She returned it, and took a deep breath before she started speaking.

“The past years have been… not the best of our lives, per se. I’ve never understood that saying. There are still so many years, so many opportunities we have yet to experience. We cannot possibly know what will be the best until we have encountered every possible thing that life can throw our way. And there is no real way to prepare for all the different outcomes. For example….” She took a deep breath, knowing that this was a gamble. “None of you probably thought you’d be attending college at the same time and place as Princess Jana Elizabeta of Ameos.”

A rush of whispers and gasps ran through the crowd, and she felt Darcy in particular staring at her. “I’ve never had much of a public presence, and part of that stems from the fact that I have valued my time being able to be among people like you. I cherish every friend I have ever made in my years traveling, and especially the ones I have found here at Harvard. I have learned from you, my classmates, as much as I have from our professors, and the gratitude I have for that is boundless. In many ways, I envy the freedom you have had for all your lives.”

She looked down at her hands, at her engagement ring, and then back up again. “Something that has been a huge part of my life has been the recognition of privilege, both my own and others. I have been born to the privilege and power that comes from being born into royalty, but I have also been keenly aware of the limitations it has placed on me as my own person. So, being here, around so many people who are only just discovering all the things they can be, every path they can take, and every different person they can be… it was something of a paradise for me.

“You have all been afforded an extraordinary chance. You have completed an education at the  _ best _ school in the world, with some of the best people I have ever known. So take every single chance that you can, and if you fail, fail spectacularly and use it as fuel in the fire that will burn your way to success. You have that luxury. But you also have a responsibility to those who don’t have that luxury. Now, more than ever, the world needs people like you, people who break down barriers, people who go farther than they need to, people who will put themselves out into the world, and make something of it.” Much to Jane’s relief, people seemed to be getting over the initial shock of her revelation, and were actually starting to cheer when she said something motivational.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t get too generic,” she joked. “And I’m pretty sure I’m failing there. Anyone looking for a job as a speechwriter and interested in working abroad?” There was a  _ lot _ of laughter for that one. “Seriously, send me an e-mail while I still have the Harvard address. Ameosan e-mail servers are  _ terrible,  _ and there’s a pretty big backlog of stuff I have to get done.” Only Thor knew what she was really talking about, of course, but the statement was still true. “And so do you. I have both the convenience of knowing what my future holds, and the burden that comes with what I will have to do in order to face those things. Your backlog is around street corners, across oceans, in houses, and stores, and out in the middle of nowhere, and you will discover the things to do only after you have done them. But I think those are the kinds of accomplishments that can actually have the most meaning. Just because you did not set out to achieve them, that should not diminish the significance of accomplishing them. Take pride in every moment of life you have, because it is too precious to do anything less with it. And since I know we are all more than ready to actually start, than to keep being here and listening to me talk, let’s get this thing going, right?”

The resounding cheer was deafening as she returned to her seat.

* * *

 

**Bzzzz. Bzzzz.**

“Ugh! Your turn!” Jane buried her face in the pillows as the phone on their shared desk rang again. Barely forty-eight hours since they took the throne of the newly joined nations, even less since they officially announced that their reign was only going to last as long as it took to transition fully into a republic, and they hadn’t had a moment’s peace since. The honeymoon was clearly over to say the least.

Thor let out a growl. He really hated mornings. “Hello?” he answered the phone, trying to sound more polite than he felt.

“Currency’s stabilizing again,” Loki informed him smugly. “Please do try to rectify that, I’m far too entertained watching the entire purpose of your life crash and burn.”

“Thank you for the update, and go to Hell, Loki.”

“Are there any windows in the palace that haven’t been smashed with a rock yet?”

“The high ones.”

“This is the most fun I have ever had with you. I can’t wait for when the two of you are trying to be ‘normal’ and don’t get your wish.”

“Give me that.” Jane reached out and grabbed the phone. “We’re opening it to amendments on the Parliament floor today, you little—” she said an Ameosan word that was clearly not considered appropriate, or else Thor would have learned it from one of his tutors a long time ago. “And given you have a cushy little setup with your own family and no real responsibilities, you have no right to be acting so—” Another Ameosan curse. “Now go away so that we can yell at the important people.”

“Have fun fending off a civil war.” Loki hung up, and Jane threw the phone across the room, leaving a dent in their gold-leaf wallpaper.

“I’m surprised you haven’t killed him yet,” Thor mused.

“I like Sigyn. I don’t want to get her mad, even if her taste in men is appalling,” Jane answered, rolling out of bed and onto the floor with a thud. “Where’d we put the list of concessions we’re willing to make?”

“Right here.” Thor pulled it out of the top drawer of their desk.

“Great… I better go get my three hours’ of cosmetics and hair done so we can actually face the day and all the complaining people....”

“At least you don’t have to wear the armor that I do.” Thor knew Jane did go through a lot with her makeup, though.

“And the crowns. Don’t forget the crowns. Ugh, why didn’t we just fake our deaths in a plane crash and go live on a deserted island?”

“Because we love our parents, and Riona would come find us and kill us for real.”

“She’s in Ireland right now, she wouldn’t have to know!” His wife pushed herself up onto her feet and stumbled to the closet, flipping through the various conservative dress and jacket combinations that had clearly been chosen by her mother and stylist rather than her. It had been long enough now that Thor knew just how much Jane actually despised dresses, and that if she’d had her way, she’d be showing up to Parliament in blue jeans and flannel.

“Cape or no cape today?” Thor asked aloud. It was the biggest stylistic change he could do in armor.

“No cape, it just slows you down and gets caught on everything,” she answered, pulling out a sleeveless black dress with a high collar and their new joint-crest on the breast. “And I still can’t believe that with all Asgard’s advanced tech, your dress styles are somewhere on the medieval and steampunk level. Even Wakanda’s past that.”

“Well, I apologize. I’m not a fashion designer. That’s just how it is.”

“It’s not just you.” She stripped off her oversized Harvard t-shirt and grabbed a set of underwear to pull on before slipping on the dress. “Loki looks like he’s going to a heavy metal concert in his get up. And your Ein…. Ein… Einherjar just… it seems so impractical.”

“Asgard does nothing halfway. We must look the part, and we must be trained to be able to do things while looking the part.”

“Yeah, but the armor still looks better on the floor,” she said with a wink as she rolled a pair of stockings up her legs and slid her feet into black heels.

Thor smirked. “As do your dresses.”

“Shut up. Oh, and make sure your hair’s under control, you have an extreme case of bedhead.” She pinched his arm as she headed into the next room. “Christine, let’s get this show on the road, please. We’re on a schedule.”

Thor frowned, and he turned to the mirror. She was right, as usual. He grabbed his brush to attempt to tame his mane. Through the door, he could faintly hear Jane arguing with her stylist, in her typically… Jane fashion. Of course, it took far less time for him to brush his hair than it did for Jane to get her hair and makeup done, but the armor made up for that time gap. And then he had to grab his warhammer, Mjolnir, to complete the look. The last pins were being used to maintain the position of Jane’s crown within her hair as he walked in. “Darcy sent me messages asking if the hammer’s compensating for anything after she saw our wedding,” Jane joked as she shooed Christine away and stood up, brushing off her dress. “I told her it wasn’t any of her business.”

Thor laughed. “Our wedding wasn’t  _ too _ crazy, was it?”

“No, we were good little pawns, just like our parents wanted. But it was a pretty big royal wedding, Thor, there were photos all over the internet.”

“Oh.” Thor avoided the Internet after big events. He always had.

“Yeah. Why do you think I insisted on such a private honeymoon, I knew what we were getting into.”

“You always seem to.”

“ _ Sapientiam super omnes _ ,” was all she said, opening up the mahogany box that held his crown and passed it over to him before offering her arm.. “Come on, let’s get this done.”

Thor wrapped his arm around hers, smiling at her. It was incredible, sometimes, seeing her looking like a queen after everything they’d gone through at Harvard. He was most definitely in awe of his wife. 

It was a long walk from their rooms down to the car that was waiting to take them to Parliament, and it didn’t help that there were some people who were actually on their various screened devices watching them deliver their proposal the day before.

“—We are forming a new nation, and for that purpose, it is our belief that a new nation requires a new form of government. Our reign will last only as long as the process it will take to make a smooth transition into a government for all people that call this place home—” Jane’s words sounded odd when he wasn’t next to her, hearing her say them, but their poignancy was not entirely lost.

“We can do this, we can do this,” the real Jane chanted under her breath as they stepped into the waiting car.

Thor squeezed her hand. “We  _ can _ do this.” The car started, driving them down the old but well maintained streets of the city. Jane had started picking at her nail beds and chewing her lip, both old habits Thor recognized from the months at Harvard.

“But can we though? I mean, Parliament’s pretty pissed, I think they’ll try to fight this for as long as they can. It could take years.

“Parliament is pretty pissed, because people don’t like change. But we’ll prove to them that this change is for the better.”

“Or we’ll wind up like the United States and gun control.”

“I don’t know if things could go  _ that _ badly.”

“ _ I  _ was the one who proposed it. They’re going to fight it as long as they can.”

“Jane, you  _ are _ their Queen. They should respect you just as much as they respect me.”

“ _ Queen _ , Thor. Kristina of Sweden entitled herself King in order to get respect, and Elizabeth Tudor had to constantly put down her own gender. There’s a long history of… oh, forget it, you know what I’ll say.”

Thor smiled and kissed her temple. “I do know what you’ll say. And I also know that this is a different time. I know women don’t have the respect they should still, but look at Queen Elizabeth. You  _ can _ make this happen. They’ve known that you were to be Queen for as long as we have.”

“I think they assumed I was going to be your slightly smart arm candy, wearing pretty dresses and having babies.”

Thor chuckled. “I feel like I’m your arm candy. You’re brilliant, dedicated, and much more well rounded than I am. I know battle, tactics, and negotiation.” 

“Which I know nothing about. We balance each other,” she amended. “But you do make very good arm candy.”

“As do you.” He winked.

“Until I open my mouth.” The car pulled to a stop in front of Parliament, and one of the guards opened the door for them. There were already countless photographers and journalists waiting for them, cameras flashing and questions being asked too loudly and quickly to be understood.”

“Excuse us. Excuse us.” Thor held onto Jane’s hand as he pushed through the crowd. Someone shouted something about Jane’s dress showing off her backside, and she started to turn, eyes blazing until Natalia intercepted.

“They’re not worth it, your Majesty, and you’re already running behind schedule. Let us deal with them.” 

“Come on. Natalia can handle herself.” Thor opened the door. “After you, my Queen.”

“Gladly, my King.” Jane stepped into the marble hallways, her heels clicking on the floor. “Try to keep up.”

“I apologize that I’m not as dainty as you are.” He was broad and bulky, and walking quickly wasn’t something he did very well; he just took large strides.

“I’m in  _ heels _ , this shouldn’t be a problem—”

“Your Majesties.” Jane came to a stop in front of the ornately carved doors that led to their joint seats in the main hall. She’d been so busy looking at Thor that she’d almost walked straight passed it, and the aide waiting for them had needed to speak louder than what was usually considered acceptable for normal people talking to royals. “Everyone’s waiting for you, you’re nearly late.”

“A queen is never late, everyone else is simply early,” Jane corrected with a smirk to Thor, who had to bite back a laugh and put on his serious face as the doors opened for them. He helped Jane take her seat before joining her.

“We’re now in session, ladies and gentleman. Now, then… shall we begin with proposed amendments to the act set down yesterday?”


End file.
